Sections of papers:

Abstract

An abstract contains brief statements of the purpose, methods, results, and conclusions of a study. Abstracts are often included in article databases, and are usually free to a large audience. Thus, they may be the most widely read portions of scientific papers.

Introduction

An introduction usually describes the theoretical background, indicates why the work is important, states a specific research question, and poses a specific hypothesis to be tested.

Introduction should contain a clear problem statement and the questions the article seeks to answer.

Literature review

When constructing a review of the literature, be attentive to “sticking” or “staying true” to your topic at hand. Don't reach or include too broad of a literature review. The literature review of a scientific paper is not an exhaustive review of all available knowledge in a given field of study.

Methodology

The methods section should clearly describe the specific design of the study and provide clear and concise description of the procedures that were performed.

Discussion and Results

The discussion section is where the article interprets the results to reach its major conclusions. This is also where the author’s opinion enters the picture the discussion is where the argument is made.

The function of the Discussion is to interpret your results in light of what was already known about the subject of the investigation, and to explain our new understanding of the problem after taking your results into consideration. The Discussion will always connect to the Introduction by way of the question(s) or hypotheses you posed and the literature you cited, but it does not simply repeat or rearrange the Introduction. Instead, it tells how your study has moved us forward from the place you left us at the end of the Introduction.

Fundamental questions to answer here include:

·Do your results provide answers to your testable hypotheses? If so, how do you interpret your findings?

·Do your findings agree with what others have shown? If not, do they suggest an alternative explanation or perhaps an unforeseen design flaw in your experiment (or theirs?)

·Given your conclusions, what is our new understanding of the problem you investigated and outlined in the Introduction?

·If warranted, what would be the next step in your study, e.g., what experiments would you do next?

Conclusion

The final section of the paper does not introduce any new information or insights: it merely summarizes and concludes. This section is longer than the abstract and generally includes more specific conclusions. It is often more quantitative than the abstract, however, listing equations or citations should not be necessary (McNown 1996a). The summary and conclusions section also has a more fluid literary style than the abstract.

 This is not just a restatement of your results, rather is comprised of some final, summative statements that reflect the flow and outcomes of the entire paper. Do not include speculative statements or additional material; however, based upon your findings a statement about potential changes in practice or future research opportunities can be provided here.

References